


As The Jasmines Bloom

by honeypressed



Series: i have seen the beginning and end of the stars (and still, we are) [2]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Assassination Attempt(s), BUT THERE IS NO CHEATING PINKY PROMISE, Epistolary, Established Relationship, Fainting, Gossip, Idiots in Love, M/M, Married Couple, Mentions of Rebellion, Mentions of War, Mutual Pining, Pet Names, Pining, Rumors, Tenderness, mention of cheating/infidelity, minsung are so in love, the yearning is x1000, this is just jisung Dramatic Monologuing for several letters, war tactics?? i suppose, yes u read that right theyre married but pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:02:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25729393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeypressed/pseuds/honeypressed
Summary: Two months after they are married, Minho writes Jisung a letter to take with him when he has to leave for the south. Thus begins a series of letters over the year or so that they are separated from each other, all the way until the anniversary of their marriage.
Relationships: Bang Chan/Lee Felix, Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hwang Hyunjin/Seo Changbin
Series: i have seen the beginning and end of the stars (and still, we are) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1899280
Comments: 37
Kudos: 146
Collections: MINSUNG BINGO: Round One





	As The Jasmines Bloom

**Author's Note:**

> seventh fill for minsungbingo! for the tropes: Rumours/Gossip + my Free Space, which im using for Storytelling Devices - Epistolary Format :>>
> 
> honestly i meant to finish jasmine before vampsung but then i hit a block on jasmine so i accidentally wrote 32k which is another story in itself that we can explore at some other time but my point is that i love jasmine please love her too hshshhsh
> 
> thank you to everyone that has listened and was patient with me as i wrote jasmine <3 i hope that as much as the scholar's wangseja brought you happiness, i hope jasmine does as well! of course, you can read this without reading the scholar's wangseja, but i would recommend you read the first installment if you have time!! it would make a few of the things i refer to in this fic clearer :>>
> 
> like always, i hope you enjoy this one too <3

i will meet you in my dream,

where the world is only you and i

(did you know dreams are scented?

mine smells like you)

* * *

_ Late October, after Chuseok.  _

_ The letter is not stamped, unusually. Perhaps this is because the letter did not require the services of a messenger. The paper is lined and heavy, typical of the paper that is made for the scholars of the palace. There is the lingering scent of lilies and peonies on it, as if the writer had kept the letter for a while yet before handing it over.  _

My husband,

I sincerely hope that you are reading this letter only when you have already left the palaces and you are on your way south. The  _ daejang  _ had so kindly helped me to keep the letter from you when we were still in the palaces together, but I think I know you well enough that you would endeavour to obtain the letter from the  _ daejang  _ as soon as the entourage made beyond the city walls. Yet this matters not; as long as the letter is with you, nothing else is of much consequence. 

The jasmine blossoms have stopped flowering in the East Palaces. I suppose this is because it is already late in the month, but I do miss their fragrances when I am in the garden. It reminds me of when you were courting me, but I am sure you tire of our old stories; I will tell you of some new happenings, as much as I am able to considering you are still here as I write this letter. In fact, as I write - you are resting on our bed. You look so incredibly peaceful while you rest, and I shall disturb you in a moment when I have finished with this letter.

It is strange so to call it our bed, I cannot yet get used to it. Barely two months has passed since we have wed, yet already you must leave to attend to your duties as the  _ wangseja _ . Before you once again plead with me to come with you - I remind you that I must stay behind this time, my dearest, to pay company to both my mother and Lord Hwang, my friend. Perhaps next time will be kinder to us, my prince, and we will be able to travel together. 

While you are away, my dearest, do not fret about what I shall do. I have drawn up plans to visit the schools in the cities and make sure they are running well, if there are any that need help from the courts. I intend to bring in complaints and issues the scholars have that are running the schools to the court as well, among other things. I will fill up time with books and music and archery, but do keep your promise to return soon, darling, for these things may fill up my day but not my night, and our bed remains empty as such. 

Speaking of you, my prince, please take care on your journey. I know you have the  _ daejang  _ and the guards with you, still I cannot help but worry like this. Think not of me when you are on this journey my trip, for there are sure to be those who will attempt to strike attacks on you through me - I am safe at the palaces, and you know beyond doubt that I am able to take care of myself. I have faith in you, my dearest, to keep yourself safe, to complete your rounds in the south, and to return to our bed by the Lunar New Year. 

I have spent two sides of paper telling you everything I have already said to you before you left. Perhaps I should not have spent the night writing this, but this letter may keep you company for a while yet before you return to my side. I hope that you remember the last night we spent together; I do. The sheets still smell of you, like pine and jasmine. My childish wish is to have the sheets remain as they smell, but that is not possible; what is possible is for you to return to me soon. Please do try and tell me of your condition, for I simply will not be at rest till you do.

My heart is always yours. 

Love,

Minho

* * *

_ Mid-November, as the winter has gradually set in.  _

_ This letter is stamped with the royal seal of the wangseja, bright red and a clear sign to the messenger that it is of utmost importance; yet this seal is not the official seal the wangseja uses for his business. This is a personal seal, and is to be delivered to the wangsejabin. The letter is slightly crumpled, as letters so often do when they are kept for weeks on end in a bag. The paper and ink are unfamiliar - these are the stationeries the south offers - but the strokes of the pen are, and most intimately so to the receiver. _

My love,

You have no idea how I long to return to you, and our bed. Perhaps it is because I have spent more time in the palaces recently with you by my side that I have become spoiled with it. The beds in the camps are hard, and the nights harder without you here. Undoubtedly you will have a laugh at my misery, but I must tell you that I miss you so sorely, and that there is still two more months of this before I may return. By the time this letter reaches you, it may be just a month left, but know that I still miss you just as much, if not more. 

I miss the days when I was able to visit you in your library. I still remember how you looked; the sunlight made your hair and skin golden, and you held the books until your fingerprints marked the edge of the pages. It is these memories that keep me from taking the fastest horse back to the palaces to have you in my arms again. I did not think it was possible to miss someone so much that it would hurt, but now my chest pains and my mind longs for you, like the land yearns for rain. My promises will never be broken, and this time is the same. 

My love, it is getting colder now. The one advantage of coming down here to the south is that the winters are always so much milder compared to the palace winters, so do try and keep warm at all times. If you do not have suitable robes, find the tailors for I am sure that they will be delighted to make something for you; have you met the seamstress who made your first set of summer robes? She had requested to make another set of robes for you in the fashion that you like, so keep that in mind, my sweet. 

The sun is setting as I write this letter, and I am once again reminded of you, this time during the first  _ chuseok _ that we have just spent together. I had not thought it was possible for someone to be prettier than the stars, but you were there right beside me, brighter than the constellations above us. That one radiant moment fills me with warmth; everything with you always feels so much like love. 

I may not be able to reply to your next letter in the hopes that I will be there by your side instead. Let the heavens bless us both, that we are safe and sound and will return to each other as a whole. My love for you only strengthens as each sun rises and moon dawns. 

Yours,

Jisung

* * *

_ Mid-December, in the height of winter. _

_ As usual, this letter is stamped. The stamping is darker in some parts of the seal, typical of a freshly-made seal and what seems like an inexperienced hand. This is no matter; the wangsejabin will have more practice soon. The paper is unusually creased; not only has it been damaged by the journey, but also by the writer himself, who is particularly upset. Yet, the letter still carries the faint scent of spring. _

My husband,

~~ You idiot ~~ , I have most specifically asked to be informed of how you are doing, and what do I receive in the letter that is delivered to me? Nothing! Nothing about my husband, who is away in the south and who I have not seen for months! I am lying here, in our bed that is made empty from your absence,  ~~ worried till I am sick ~~ and yet I hear not one word from you about how you are. I have to wait another month to know if you are safe, as the courts are not for me to trust and they seem to have filled their mouths with the most ridiculous gossip of some sort. 

If my memory serves me well, I have also told you to not think of me. Perhaps it was a most arduous task for you, but my dearest, you are the  _ wangseja  _ out there, not my Jisung. I sincerely hope that you are concentrating on what you do, and not about what I might be doing,  ~~ no matter how much I also miss you ~~ . 

What am I supposed to inform you of? There is nothing happening at the palace. Or perhaps I should reword my statement - there is nothing happening at the palace that is not rubbish gossip and rumours. I have gone back to my normal routine of hiding away in the palace libraries in the hopes that I will not be disturbed, but apparently because I am the  _ wangsejabin _ I must want company with me. My routine now has been modified slightly to escape the company of these court ladies and eunuchs, and I have to confess that the quiet walkways you shared with me all those months ago have come in incredibly useful right now. 

Lord Hwang has been most helpful these days as well, and he often walks with me and gives me the quiet company I so desperately crave. Lately, your brother, the third prince - he has come to see us quite frequently? Does he have some unfinished business that you did not discuss with him before you left? I can pass on any message to him if you wish me to if your next letter arrives before you do. 

Speaking of leaving, please do give me some information about yourself in the other letters you are bound to send me. I only know that you are alive and not six feet under because there is no messenger waking me in the dead of night that my husband is no longer here, and because  _ daejang  _ Bang is kind enough to send along information about you when he sends the messenger back. Just as much as you want to hear about what I am doing here in the palaces, I have as much desire to know that you are safe and well when you are not with me. 

I have spent more nights alone than together with you, yet I cannot remember if they were as cold as the nights are now.  ~~ The sheets no longer smell like you ~~ ~~.~~ The sheets are back to how they were before we married, and I most decidedly do not like it. Please return soon, my dearest. There is nothing else I would say apart from that I miss you, and you already know that. I won’t waste any more paper for these purposes. 

I hope to meet you tonight in my dreams. 

Yours,

Minho

* * *

_ A week before the Lunar New Year. _

“Are you sure we should be travelling this late in the evening, Your Highness? It will long have fallen dark by the time we reach the city gates, and even later when we arrive at the palace,”  _ daejang  _ Bang says, voicing his suggestion carefully. 

“Are the soldiers willing to move on, and the horses kept well?” Jisung returns instead, slowing his horse down to keep the same pace as the  _ daejang _ . 

“They are, Your Highness. We have taken enough rest the night before,”  _ Daejang  _ Bang says, and knows the  _ wangseja’s _ decision has already been made as soon as he says it. 

“Then I would like for us to return to the palace tonight, hopefully before it gets too dark to make the way out,” Jisung says, and the  _ daejang  _ nods. He makes the signal to the rest of the entourage, and they make their way through the roads under the shine of the late morning sun. 

“Pardon my assumption, Your Highness, but I think that you want to return to the palaces by tonight because of your husband?” 

“Yes,” Jisung says, and his heart can’t help but squeeze tight at the thought of his husband. “He seemed fine in the last letter that he sent me, but…” 

“Rumours are rumours, Your Highness,”  _ daejang  _ Bang assures him, “you have never been one to listen to these rumours nor believe in them. We shall arrive at the palaces by sundown and you will be reunited with the  _ wangsejabin _ .”

With the confidence of his  _ daejang _ , Jisung and his entourage make his way back to the palaces, slowly closing in on Seoul as they ride throughout the day. The sun shining overheard barely makes up for the cold that lingers in the air and wind around them, and Jisung is sure it will start snowing by the late evening. Conscious of the wellbeing of his soldiers and their horses, he hurries them through the villages and is thankful he does - they reach the city gates by the evening, and there is just a short while left before they reach the palaces itself. 

It’s enough to know that Minho is just a little ways away from him, so he stops the entourage at the closest  _ jumak _ and lets everyone rest and take their food and drink. He instructs one of the guards to find a stable boy to take care of their horses, and lets them have their fun in the tavern. When the last of the orange has disappeared only does Jisung then order for the horses to be resaddled and the entourage to ride again.

Lanterns are affixed to the saddles of their horses and the entourage makes their way towards the palaces, a group of brilliant orange light marking a path through the city, then the inner city, and finally, the palace gates. Never before had the palace gates seemed so welcoming, and Jisung is relieved that he has arrived, even if he knows there is the briefing he needs to give to his father and the rest of the guard before he is allowed to go back to his own rooms

This, he deals with his usual efficiency. He briefs that everything down south is going well, the  _ yangban _ are keeping well with their military, and the heir to the Yang household was, for some reason, constructing a garden, though Jisung does not really know why.

It takes until well after the evening  _ sura _ that Jisung is finally done, and he stops just to eat something quickly, abandoning formalities in order to return to his rooms and finally be reunited with his husband again. It seems that the servants know as much, and they clear away quickly after him, opening the doors for him once he’s done with his meal.

“Thank you,” Jisung says quietly to the servants, aware of how late it already is. “You may return to your quarters. Take until the late morning for your rest and tell your keepers that I have given you permission.” 

It is cold outside. 

Of course it is - it is well into the winter, and Jisung hurries over the snow that has settled onto the courtyard, leaving footprints in his wake. The courtyard has never seemed larger than it has now, when he is rushing home and hoping that his husband is warm and safe and perhaps waiting for him. 

There is a light outside the entrance to the East Palace. 

Curious, Jisung quickens his steps, thinks that it might be one of the guards or servants waiting for him. As he draws closer, the lantern casts more and more of the person’s features into relief - and with a heart-stopping jolt he realises exactly who it is. 

_ Minho _ . 

“My love!” Jisung says, all the breath leaving him at once and rushes closer to reach his husband, “What are you doing out here in the cold, at night?” The snow that was once hard to walk through is now so much easier as he has someone precious waiting for him.

“I heard you were back,” Minho says, and in the euphoria of seeing each other again Jisung does not take note that Minho’s voice is unusually rough. “I wanted to wait for you, my Prince.” 

There is a pause where Jisung just holds Minho’s hands and presses kisses to his forehead and cheeks, enjoying the feeling of being able to hold his husband in his arms. “My angel,” He says softly, “waiting for me with a pretty lantern in this dark, cold night.”

“Oh, stop it with your sweet words,” Minho says, and even though they’re married he’s still so shy. “You have been back for barely a few minutes, and already you are waxing with your words?” 

“My angel, how I have missed you,” Jisung says, not at all bothering to conceal the delight in his voice. “I have missed you so much more than my words could describe. How long have you been out here in the cold ? Your cheeks are so red, let us go in,” He murmurs, pulling Minho closer to him. “Oh, you feel so warm, my love, are you sure you’re feeling fine?” 

“A bit -” Minho starts, and then he falls further forward into Jisung’s arms. It is not like the other times when he cuddles closer; this time it is like he falls forward because he does not have the energy to stand up. Barely another second passes before his knees are buckling and the lantern has dropped dangerously close to the snow, and it is only because of Jisung that he hasn’t collapsed into the snow.

“My love?” Jisung asks, and there is panic rising into his voice faster than he had ridden his steed back to the palaces. “Are you alright? I shall take you in now, I -”

“I am glad that you are back,” Minho whispers, voice shot to the heavens, looking up at Jisung from where he is half-slumped into the snow - and it just occurs to Jisung that Minho sounds so incredibly  _ ill _ . 

“No - no - no, stay with me, love,” Jisung says anxiously as he bundles Minho into his arms and making his way into the lights of the East Palace. “Servants! Where are you? Call the physician, my husband is ill! Why were there no servants with him as he waited outside?” 

Jisung’s voice dissolves into the sound of footsteps hurrying towards them, and the only thing left outside is the light of the lantern, lying in the snow and slowly extinguished by the cold. 

It paints the snow a brilliant orange.

* * *

“He was told not to leave his rooms, but he must have left after the evening  _ sura _ to wait for you,” The physician informs Jisung. “I know not if he told you of his illness or not, or if correspondence had reached you in time, Your Highness, but the  _ wangsejabin _ had taken ill about a week or two ago.”

“And the reason being?” Jisung asks, voice tightly strung.

“It seems just like a minor illness, Your Highness, and nothing serious. I suspect there is nothing that has made him ill bar from longing. The servants told me that the  _ wangsejabin _ had not been eating or resting well for the past months since you have been away, and that is likely to have been the reason he took ill.” 

“My husband… took ill from longing?” Jisung asks, and there is a sinking feeling settling deep in his gut. 

“I have found that newlyweds most often do, Your Highness,” The physician says. “This is nothing that a few days of eating nourishing food and resting plenty will not cure. If the gods are kind, they may give us some sunshine so the  _ wangsejabin _ will recover even faster.”

Recognising that the physician has already given directions to the servants as to how to take care of Minho, Jisung nods. “Very well. Thank you for your service, you are dismissed. All of you - the servants too, you may leave us for the night. Leave the guard outside our rooms, but other than that, everyone is to go back to rest for the night.” 

Multiple soundings of  _ thank you, Your Highness _ echoes quietly throughout the rooms, and then the servants and physician leave their room. It is to the sounds of feet shuffling and doors closing that Jisung sits beside Minho, taking a hand to clasp in his own, and when he raises Minho’s hand to press his mouth against Minho’s knuckles, he is shaking a little. 

“I am sorry,” Jisung murmurs, mostly for himself to hear; Minho is still asleep, driven to slumber by the heat of his fever. “I am so terribly sorry, my love.” 

For someone that had so little fears; for someone that always had courage in excess; for someone that had lived a life with few worries - now it seems like they have finally arrived to haunt him in double, weighing down on his chest as he holds the one hand he never wants to let go. 

It had never before occurred to him - that Minho could one day no longer be with him. Perhaps it was because they were both still young, and that their love had only just started, but old age and death was not something Jisung heavily considered. Yet now that Minho is lying in their bed, ridden with sickness and skin fever-warm to the touch, Jisung thinks that perhaps his priorities are starting to change. 

As the  _ wangseja _ , the country undoubtedly comes first, there is nothing to argue about there; but as Han Jisung, a husband, Minho will always come first. This is where it becomes difficult, for he has never had anything that meant so much to him as Minho does that it would interfere with his duties to the country. 

Right now, Minho outranks anything else.

“I promise to do better,” Jisung whispers, and his voice breaks in half as he says it. “I will do better, I promise you this. I may not be able to give you all that you want, but I will always strive to give you what you need.” 

It feels pointless, to sit here beside his sleeping husband and cry, but that is all Jisung does. For the first time in his life, he has something that he is afraid of losing. It is strange that he should feel both terrified and encouraged at the same time; he has yet to learn that to love means to be bolstered through actions but at the same time wonder at each turn if this would mean the end. 

Minutes and hours pass as he sits there, and his tears feel endless. The vows he made, to cherish and to protect, it seems like he had breached them; it is not until he looks up at Minho again, who is sleeping so peacefully that he remembers he had also promised to love through health and sickness. 

“I will love you,” Jisung says, voice made soft from exhaustion and tears. “I promise I will always, angel.” 

He does not remember when he falls asleep. Maybe it is between the hours of dusk and dawn that slumber finally takes over, and his tears cease for a moment as he rests. His sleep is not at all peaceful, and it barely feels like he’s closed his eyes when he wakes again from the pressure around his hand and what sounds like…  _ sobbing _ . 

It takes a while for him to come to, but slowly, he places the pressure around his hand - it is his husband. His Minho, who is holding his hand tightly and bent over at the waist, shoulders shaking. Jisung doesn’t quite understand why Minho is positioned like this until - he hears it. 

“ _ Jisung… _ please - please, wake up… I  _ miss _ you, please…” 

Minho is crying. Crying that he misses him, while he holds his hand; Jisung’s exhaustion clears away rapidly and he laces his fingers with Minho, his other hand reaching out to cup Minho’s cheek and left his face. 

“My love,” Jisung calls, voice still heavy with sleep but eyes light with adoration, “I am here, you do not need to be so hapless. Please do not cry, you make my heart hurt…” 

“Jisung?” Minho says softly, his name breaking into half upon his lips by a sob. 

“Minho,” Jisung replies, equally gentle, and he wipes away at the tears that have gathered in Minho’s eyes. “I am here, my angel, please cry no more, it makes me so incredibly sad.” 

“You - I did not dream? That you returned to me last night?” Minho asks, words still interrupted by hiccups and sobs. “It was not yet another dream that I had? I could not believe my eyes - my hand - nothing - I could not believe any of it, that it was really you that was sitting beside me.” His eyes dart all over Jisung’s face, taking in every detail like he still does not believe it, and this hurts more than any sword Jisung has taken to his body.

“This is real, it is all real, I promise you,” Jisung says, shifts so he can take Minho into his arms. “Your eyes - your hands - everything, this is real. I am back with you, and I will stay for as long as the world will let me.” 

There is a moment when Minho just stays like that, warm in his arms, and Jisung relishes this one moment, radiant like the petals of the jasmine as it reflects the sun. Minho still smells the same, of lilies and peonies, and Jisung knows not when these scents had become his home, but they have. 

He is home, and will be here to stay for a while yet. 

“Welcome home,” Minho says abruptly into Jisung’s chest after a while. “It is a bit late but - welcome home, my Prince.” He disentagles himself from Jisung a little and looks up at Jisung as he wipes at his face. 

“It is never too late,” Jisung returns, kisses softly over the path of Minho’s tears, hopes to change his pain into love. “There is no one else whom these words can sound sweeter from.”

“Then - once again, welcome back,” Minho says, sits up properly until he is eye-level with Jisung; mouth-level too, if Jisung bothers to notice that. “This is not a secret but… I have missed you, my dearest. So much.” 

“I know,” Jisung murmurs, thinks that maybe that is why his pain lasts so, because they both miss far too much. “I know, my love, I have missed you too.

They go back to sleep as the first rays of the sun break over the dark night, bringing the dawn with it. Their hands are tangled and their fingers with the jade ring they treasure so reflects the gold of the sun. There is only warmth where they lie, and for the first time in three months, they do not need to meet each other in their dreams. 

(and for two weeks, jisung spends the last of the winter with minho. two radiant weeks of sunshine on snow, of being able to see and hold and kiss his husband again. even the fact that he is constantly being called to court does not bother him, for he is able to return to minho by the evening, and sometimes minho even sits in the court with him. 

“i wish you could always stay by my side like this, wherever i go,” jisung says, one night when they’re tangled in the sheets together and minho looks like the first night they spent as a couple. 

“when you are the  _ wang _ ,” minho promises, “i will always be by your side. for now - we have duties to fulfill.”

jisung smiles, bends down to kiss his husband again and wonders how he can seal this feeling away for later when he wants to remember it again.)

* * *

_ After the Lunar New Year, at the end of February.  _

_ The letter is not stamped with the seal of the wangseja as it usually is; this letter has been hand-delivered to the wangsejabin. Perhaps hand-delivered is a bit misleading - the letter was given to the wangsejabin the morn that the wangseja was due to leave. As such, the ink is smudged a little from the dampness of tears, but the writing is nevertheless decipherable.  _

My love, 

Right now, as I write this letter, I pray at the same time that our farewell will not last long, and will not be painful. I fathom not why I am being made to leave the palaces again so soon after the last trip, but I have a suspicion about this that I will talk about later. 

Especially of my concern is that, my angel, please do not overexert yourself, or make yourself ill by missing me again. I draw that much more strength from knowing that you are well and happy, and if you miss me less that would be even more delightful, for I will take on the arduous task of missing you even more. You know of this already, but my heart hurt so dreadfully as I saw you bedridden with sickness, and I only want to fill our days together with more happiness until it is all I can remember. 

Besides that, perhaps I should have asked you this when we were together - but is my brother courting someone? He is most secretive about it and refuses to tell me when I asked him before I left but perhaps you know of this? I did not even know that he was courting someone; the courts, as it turns out, has useful gossip for once! Apparently, some of the  _ yangban  _ were so full of disappointment that they locked themselves in their rooms in an attempt to draw attention to them, but all have failed. Brilliant must be the person that has drawn  _ hyung’s _ eyes and heart so, and I most wish to meet them soon. 

Expectedly, this reminds me of when I was courting you. I have only good memories, and so I leave for this trip in the highest of spirits. I still remember your hair, threaded full with flowers, and the robes which I had requested made for you, brighter than the sundawns we have in the summer. You are more beautiful now than you were all those months ago, and I suspect I will continue to have this opinion of you for the rest of our lives. 

Lastly, I am afraid I must revert back to what I mentioned at the beginning of my letter. It is most strange for us to be leaving so soon right when we have just returned for less than a month. This trip has been most encouraged and pushed for by  _ sojang  _ Jeon, who you know I have suspicions about. I have  _ daejang _ Bang with me, but promise me that you will keep safe, and keep an eye out in the palaces, my love.

So here I must leave you again. I could spend another page writing about how much I would miss you, but I think you already know that. The only way I can meet you again now is in our dreams; perhaps you will miss me less because you have the jasmines with you. The words I love you, must be enough for us now. I love you. 

Yours,

Jisung 

* * *

_ The middle of March, as winter thaws out and spring starts to fill the country with colours. _

_ This letter will be the first to go into the innermost pocket of the wangseja, right next to his heart. There is also the added advantage that it smells strongly of love and home. _

My husband,

I have received your message well. I hope that you are travelling well once more, even if it is such unlucky timing that we are parted yet again so soon after you have just come back to me. You do not need to worry about my safety, for I have taken up my bow again, and  _ daejang _ Bang had previously assigned guards he trusted to me before you left. 

Do you need to remind me of what transpired? I am most embarrassed that I fell ill from want of you, but this seems to please the court, for some strange reason or another. Did they doubt my affection for you? If that is the reason, maybe that is the source for the ridiculous rumours between me and Lord Hwang when you were away last time. I deigned to tell you these things for they are simply rumours and empty talk, but the courts were saying that I was being unfaithful to you with Lord Hwang. 

I hope you laughed, because I certainly did. I know who Lord Hwang is betrothed to - and so do you now. It is who you asked me for in your last letter, and he is right to have kept it most secretive. The third prince, and the son of  _ daegam  _ Hwang? The courts already pined when the third prince said he was engaged; if they find out it is with Lord Hwang, I shudder to think about how they will react. I have no idea how the courts were pleased when they found out we were betrothed; did satisfaction of the  _ wangseja _ finally being married trump jealousy? It is slightly unfathomable that the court could be so selfless, if you may pardon me, my Prince.

Lord Hwang has also been asking for my help in arranging the wedding, which I think you will find humorous. I hardly remember anything about our wedding other than how splendid you looked and how in love I am, let alone the details and planning of the wedding. I do hope that you can make it back in time for our anniversary in the autumn. It would be nice to have my husband back with me for a longer time.

Speaking of the court - Younghyun  _ daegun  _ is running the courts in your absence. Was it the  _ wang _ that convinced him? You have told me before he had no interest in these kinds of affairs, but he seems to be doing well! Better for the  _ daegun  _ to run the courts than to leave her up to the whimsy of these  _ yangban _ . Their mouths are always full of rubbish and seem to delight in nothing better than elbowing their way into business that they have no part in.

Yet I write not to tell you about these small things that irritate me so. I shall tell you about the prettier and nicer things that are happening so that I might relieve you of your burdens, even if it is just for a few minutes. The jasmines have started to bloom again, and there are some growing outside the windows of our rooms. I so wish that I could send you their fragrance and loveliness; I hope spring has reached you where you are.

For some reason, even though I have the jasmines with me, I still miss you, and dearly so. Having you only in my dreams has become so painful after knowing what it is like to have you in reality feels like. Please stay safe, my husband. You know that I love you; I will say it again because I miss you. I love you. Please come home soon. 

Yours,

Minho

* * *

_ Mid-April, at the height of spring when the cherry blossoms fill all the space in the sky. Flowers carpet the road as the wangseja would know; he has been on the road for two months.  _

_ This letter is a bit more special, both in contents and otherwise. The wangsejabin is most used to just receiving sheets of paper filled with writing, but this time there is something else that comes with the letter. The letter is crumpled and hard to unfurl, with the strokes of the hangul hurried and almost illegible. Still, the letter goes into the drawer in which the wangsejabin has kept all the other letters.  _

My love,

You are my heaven-sent angel. Yours was the only letter in which I could conceivably send a message without it falling into the wrong hands, for most would assume the letter had nothing important in it. Thank you for sending us the reinforcement military, my love, for without them it would have been hard to overcome the traitors. I am also most grateful to  _ daejang _ Bang for arranging safety for you; as you know, he will be meeting his betrothed as soon as we arrive back in the palaces. You are danger with the bow, my love, and I think most would know of this too; my only wish is that you keep as safe as you can, and that you draw your arrow as you need to.

I hope you are well, my love. I am most upset that we cannot view the cherry blossoms together for the first time after we are married, but I have sent you a small gift along with this letter. Perhaps next year we will have better fortunes, but for now I will have to be content that you are safe and well. You say that I remind you of your embarrassment, but at that time you had reminded me of what I treasure the most. 

You, of all people, should know not to listen to the courts. They talk of complete rubbish when there is nothing important to discuss, and even when there is something of importance, they attempt to steer the conversation in a different path. It is most exhausting, and I miss the days when you would sit next to me in court. I find the rumours that you are being unfaithful to me with Lord Hwang most amusing, and if you will please, tell my brother that he should keep his engagement a secret for as long as is possible. I would adore to see the courts in an upheaval if my brother and Lord Hwang show up to be married with no regard for everyone else. To answer your question about Younghyun- _ hyung _ – he has no interest in these affairs, that is true, but when he is needed he will step up to the helm, which I will always be thankful for.

About the wedding talk – you must be jesting, my love. You were the one to pick out the flowers and embroidery, all the while drawing up military plans for us. I know not how you did it, but I love you all the more for it. You are truly admirable, and I derive no greater pleasure than to tell people that I am married to you. As you have hoped, I too hope that I will be able to return in time for our wedding anniversary in the autumn. I am certain that after this journey we will need to ascend the throne; I promise you then that wherever I am, you will be with me as well.

To ease your heart, I assure you that I am not in danger. We are safe in the hold of the Lees here in the east, and plans are being drawn up. I think you know of the plans, my love, for you were the one who suggested and took part in these plans. I shall bore you not with talk about the plans for I am sure that you know the plans better than I do. You say that the jasmines have bloomed again; here, the cherry blossoms are in full. What I am sending you is only a fragment of the loveliness that I can see, but I know that one day I will be able to see the cherry blossoms with you.

Once again, I must entreat you to meet me in our dreams. There are not many months left until I return to you. Hold your jasmine in one hand, and your bow in the other, my love. There are people here that will hurt you, and while I know you are more than capable of taking care of yourself, I will continue to worry.

I love you. I would bring the spring home with me if I had the power to; my dreams are of our autumn.

Yours,

Jisung

_ A cherry blossom falls out of the scroll, pressed dry by weeks of traveling. _

* * *

_ Late June.  _

_ Two letters arrive at once, this time. Perhaps it is because the letter last month was not delivered, and with no letter received, the wangsejabin took it to himself to write another letter. Both letters are crumpled and dirtied; it still carries the personal seal of the wangsejabin, but even the red ink of the seal has faded. _

_ The second letter is much shorter than the first. _

My husband,

You sent me a pressed cherry blossom. Every time, you manage to render me speechless; I have framed the blossom and kept it in my drawer, the one with all your letters. There is nothing else I can say except that I must thank you, and that I love you. The cherry blossoms bloomed here at the palaces too, but I am already waiting for the blossoms next year.

I am safe. This is what you are likely to be most worried about, so I will ease you of your worries without further ado. The guards are most helpful, and my instructor has been vigilant about my practice of using the bow. I think the traitors dare not attack the palace where the  _ wang _ still rules, but you have been right to tell me to be wary. I pain to tell you these things for you will certainly worry, but tell you I must. I have found food and drink laced with poison, and disguised servants who carry daggers and secrets. 

They are all being dealt with in the palace, and I have not taken any injury. My guard continues to be up, but more than that I hope that you are safe. You tell me that you are safe, but by the time this letter reaches you it will have been weeks. I can only continue to hope that you are safe, and that you will return to me soon. Your brother tells me that the Lees are our allies and that they will be your stronghold from the east to face the traitors and their army; you know what I think of that. They are in the plans that we have drawn up, and I believe that it will give you the added advantage when it comes to battle. 

God, I do not want to think about battle. I know that you have fought before, and that you have won your battles, but it feels different from last time when we were still strangers. Now you are my husband and I am full of worry because of that. Please, my dearest, I hope that you return soon. It is all the better if you returned unharmed, but I know I cannot expect that to happen. 

I know not what to tell you. Would you like me to tell you of the more light-hearted things happening in court? It feels as though I have nothing and everything to tell you, all at the same time. I did not think that I would miss you so much after we were married, but now as I write this I am alone in our room, and the jade of our ring only makes my heart hurt more. Lord Hwang tells me that it will be impossible for you to write me a letter now once the horses the messengers use will be taken up to use in battle; as compensation I will keep writing you letters instead. It is the only thing keeping me at the palaces, and if it were not for Lord Hwang and your brother, I would have long left to find you.

I long to tell you something that might be of help to you, but there simply is nothing that I know of. The servants who are not servants refuse to talk as of yet, and there is little I can do but wait and see who within the courts will reveal themselves. I have my suspicions but I cannot tell you of them yet for it would be dangerous to do so.

Perhaps you would like to hear about your brother. He is most enamoured with Lord Hwang, and I have become their chaperone, for one reason or another. Their wedding is to be held after our coronation, and Lord Hwang is all the more delighted for it, for he has been wanting a winter wedding. Why does he want to get married in the cold? It is not of my place to question why but it is certainly humorous to see your brother bumble his way around Lord Hwang. 

Something else that may be of your interest is that the betrothed of  _ daejang _ Bang has arrived. It is certainly not a good time for him to arrive, but arrived he has, and he has settled in the East Palaces. He is most shy, but he is polite and I think would make a wonderful pair with the  _ daejang _ . He is undoubtedly sweet, and I have taken to having him around me. It is to my knowledge that he has also written a letter to the  _ daejang _ , but we are not sure when our letters will be delivered to you. 

I think I have said enough, my dearest. The longer this letter is, the more worry I will impart into my words, and that is not my intention. I hope with all of my heart and all of my dreams that you are safe, my husband. As always, I hope that you come back to my side soon; please watch your back and your nights, for I am not there to do so for you. I love you, more than I could have possibly thought so. 

Yours,

Minho

My husband,

I am still safe. Lord Hwang was right in that you would not be able to return my letter, but I know not if you even received my letter last month. There is so little news that I can trust, but I have hope in the news that I can trust. It is the only thing that is keeping me here at the palace now that the wedding plans for your brother and Lord Hwang have been completed. The company of the prince Lee has helped to calm me, but even he is worried for your entourage, and most importantly,  _ daejang  _ Bang, I suspect. Even if he tells me not of these things, he has continued to write letters to the  _ daejang _ without wanting them delivered. Perhaps in him I see how much I miss you.

The disguised servants have revealed who their loyalty lies with.  _ Sojang _ Jeon had threatened the safety of some of their families while others joined willingly out of greed or revenge. The  _ wang  _ and Younghyun  _ daegun  _ is dealing with them, and I suspect that as soon as you finish your battle in the east, there will be justice brought to those who have already lost their lives. I cannot imagine how horrible the carnage must be in the east; it is fortunate that there was enough time for you to order all the surrounding villages to be evacuated and taken to safety. This I hear from  _ sojang  _ Shin and I trust that she has obtained her news well.

How long has it been since you left? It is already well into the summer now, yet I enjoy it not. Even the court has fallen strangely silent these days, pensive and tense. Some of the  _ yangban _ have taken to staying in their rooms, whether out of fear or other reasons I do not know. I keep the sword you forged for me beside our bed. I cannot sleep well, and I cannot eat well; this you must not find fault with me for, because I am full with worry for you, and for us. I trust that you will win your battles, but god, logic plays no part in the game of love and I will only be at ease when you have returned.

There is nothing else I could possibly tell you. I have spent every night praying to the gods that you will be safe, and that you will soon return. I love you. I love you, I love you, and I love you more. You must come back.

Yours,

Minho 

_ The second letter is stained with tears. _

* * *

_ Mid-July. The height of summer, and the flowers bloom and fruits weigh heavy on their branches. The smell of summer is sultry in the air, and for the first time in weeks the wangsejabin can properly enjoy the beauty summer brings. _

_ For the peak of summer brings with it letters. So many letters - letters that contain news and good news at that, and letters from daejang Bang to [prince] Lee and letters to sojang Shin commending her lead and that she will be rewarded and - a letter from the wangseja to his husband. _

My love,

I think you will have already known about this by the time this letter reaches you, but I will tell you, regardless. 

We have won. 

The battle was hard fought but we prevailed through the end. Of all the thanks that I have extended to everyone, I must also thank you, my husband. The things you know of, and what you can predict has been most helpful; I am certain  _ daejang _ Bang wants you to permanently sit in on the meetings the military has. To that suggestion, I have told him that he should seek your consent. It is not of my place to say whether you are allowed to sit at meetings, but if you do I shall be able to tell my generals that my husband helped to draw up these plans and you know I derive no greater pleasure from anything else.

We are due to ride home in two weeks as I write this letter, so by the time this letter reaches you I suspect there will only be a week left till my return. We do not need to wait much longer, my love, for I will soon be able to stay by your side for a very long while yet.

I have also written to Younghyun- _ hyung _ about the servants. Those who were forced will be monitored and pardoned but those who joined willingly will not be given such mercy. You are my husband. No one can attempt assassination on the  _ wangsejabin _ without consequences. God if you had been hurt I would not have known what to do with myself. I trust that you can take care of yourself but worry is without logic and I think you will find humour from  _ daejang _ Bang if you ask him about my reactions to receiving your letters.

I am also safe. It has slipped my mind among everything else to tell you this, but I assure you that I am safe. There are wounds, to be sure, but none of them are life threatening. I could not bear it if you were hurt by being careless in your fight, and so I have sought to be more careful this time with the same thought in mind. The physician tells me that it will take a few weeks for the wounds to heal completely, but even then there will be scars. Enough scars for a lifetime, I think? I will spend the rest of it by your side, with hopefully no more scars to add to myself and certainly none to mar you.

I think that is most of the important news out of the way. Would you like to hear of some trivialities? It has become increasingly light-hearted as the guard for battle lowers, and it had made for good laughter.  _ Daejang _ Bang is absolutely smitten for the prince Lee, even when they have only been exchanging letters. I think their wedding will be a quiet one, for speed rather than ceremony, yes? It is pleasing to see that the  _ daejang _ is smitten so, and so think the arrangement of their marriage has been most successful. We will be there for their marriage before our coronation.

I have heard that my brother is utterly in love with Lord Hwang. It is baffling to see how the court does not yet know who he is engaged to. Even with just the news that is sent to me, I think they are most appalling. I cannot wait for them to get married so I can see my brother stumbling and crying over his vows while your friend smiles. It shall truly be a sight. 

But I think perhaps what is also of equal importance is that I will return in time for our anniversary. We will spend this autumn together once again and I hope to spend each and every autumn that I will have together with you. I still remember how you looked like when we were wed. You looked as radiant as the full of the moon and even the gold of the embroidery could not compare to the stars in your eyes.

The heavens have heard this one prayer too many times, but they shall hear it again until I have you in my arms again. I miss you, my love, and I pray that you are safe, that you are well, and that you are happy. I will soon return to your side. Look at the flowers, my love, for there is not an enough abundance of them to convey to you how much I love you.

Yours,

Jisung

* * *

"You cannot stop me," Is the first thing Minho says as soon as he finishes reading the letter that has just been delivered to him. "My husband is coming home, I will not let anyone stop me from going to him and seeking him out. I have waited for far too long in these palace walls." 

"You might be acting a little rashly," Hyunjin points out. "Perhaps the  _ wangseja _ will be happy to see you, but what if -"

"- What if I am attacked? Death will be mercy for those who attack me then," Minho says, and he's already standing up, pacing around his room while rereading over the lines of the letter, the  _ hangul _ as dear and familiar to him as his own. "What is the time? How far do you think I can make it if I leave once the afternoon  _ sura  _ has finished?"

"You will arrive in the city," Felix answers, having kept quiet all this while. "I remember, for when I arrived here as night fell, I had set out from the city in the afternoon. Are you really leaving, Your Highness?" 

"Do not call me by that title when it is just us," Minho says again, "for I am your friend. To answer you - yes I will. I cannot simply bide my time here while I wait for my husband to return."

"Then… am I allowed to accompany you?" Felix asks shyly, "I think I will be useful for both protection and -"

"- And he wishes to see his betrothed," Hyunjin interrupts, looking delighted. "Our pretty prince wants to see the  _ daejang _ in his full glory, all armoured and ready for battle." 

"No!" Felix says, but stammers over even that one word. "I just - I just wished to accompany you - it is not because of the  _ daejang _ !"

"You can say you want to see your betrothed, there is no shame in that," Minho says, smiling at the flustered prince. "I am sure he will be delighted to see you for the first time. My husband has mentioned to me that he is utterly smitten for you, even just by the letters you have sent him."

"Oh - he is?" 

Minho nods, then opens the door of his room, directing his sentence to the guards outside his room. " _ Sojang _ Shin, prepare a small entourage for me and the prince Lee to depart after the afternoon  _ sura _ ."

There is just the tiniest hint of a smile on her face. "Very well, Your Highness. May I ask for the destination of your journey?"

"I want to meet my husband," Minho replies, and then decides Felix can take a bit of teasing. "The young prince wants to meet the  _ daejang _ too."

" _ Your Highness _ !" Felix cries, obviously flustered, and there's a small peal of laughter echoing throughout the room. 

_ Sojang _ Shin does her best to assemble an entourage at such short notice, and by the time Minho and Felix have changed into appropriate wear for riding, the horses have been saddled by the stables. It is a small entourage, just them, the  _ sojang _ , and a dozen soldiers; but Minho knows every one of these guards, and he trusts all of them. For him right now, that was more important than having many guards whom he didn't know and trust.

"We should be able to reach the city by nightfall,"  _ Sojang _ Shin says. "Are you sure you are allowed to leave, Your Highness?"

"Younghyun _ daegun  _ has told me to go fetch his younger brother for he tires of running the court," Minho says, laughing a little when he remembers the conversation he had with the grand prince over his meals. "Besides, Changbin _ wangja  _ is also here, not to mention the  _ gongju  _ too. The palace is safe, and will not miss my presence for a week or two."

_ Sojang _ Shin smiles, bows. "Then I am relieved, Your Highness. The summer days are long now, and if the weather is well, we will reach the city outskirts by eve. Then we shall head east on the roads that the  _ daejang _ always prefers to take. That is perhaps the best way we can meet the  _ wangseja _ ."

"I have faith in you,  _ sojang _ ," Minho replies, "and I have faith in our gods. Let us meet my husband's entourage for a wonderful return."

Their setting out is peaceful. The afternoon sun is mild and a fresh breeze blows towards them as they ride out of the palace and into the surrounding city. Perhaps it is because another war has just been freshly fought that it is a little quieter in the streets now, the people still afraid that the war will spill over into their homes and through their front doors. 

Minho thinks about the villagers displaced from their homes in the east and how their houses must have been damaged - and thinks of the supplies and help that is due to be dispatched to the east in two days. It is the least of what he can do, to ease the sufferings of the eastern villages, especially now that harvest season is so close.

It is particularly refreshing to be out in the city after weeks of being made to stay inside the palace for his own safety, and the bow on his back is a solid reminder that he can defend himself if needs be. The streets are lined with flowers and fruits, and the smell of summer accompanies their entourage as they enter the city. The thought that he will see these same sights with Jisung on his way back to the palace bolsters him throughout the journey, and it is well into the evening before they stop at a _jumak_ for some rest.

_ Sojang _ Shin arranges the guard shift as Minho negotiates rooms for them, while Felix looks around curiously, fascinated. 

“I forget that you have not seen much of our country,” Minho says as they retire upstairs to their rooms. “Your husband will soon take you around our country, I am sure of it. He knows where the prettiest sights are, and when as well.”

“We are not married yet!” Felix returns, and he is already red. “I do not even know if he likes me yet…” 

“The  _ daejang _ will certainly treat you respectfully, and you will be loved, I have no doubt,” Minho says, smiling. “Rest tonight, Felix. You will need to, for we have a long way to go yet.”

For the next few days, Minho and  _ sojang _ Shin have numerous discussions about which roads they should take, and how far they should go every day. They decide to head east using the same roads that the  _ daejang _ said he would take all those months ago, and hopefully find the  _ wangseja’s _ entourage in one of the _jumaks_ along the way.

_ I will find you _ , Minho tells himself the third night they are on the road.  _ Wait for me, my dearest. I will find you, and no longer will we suffer through our pain separately. _

* * *

It is the fifth day that they are resting at this one _jumak_. The horses have been tired out, and his guards are still injured - so Jisung lets them rest. After all, they are already near the city outskirts, and it will not take much longer for them to reach the palaces. Today is slow, and the weather is wonderful. Jisung is sitting and nursing a cup of tea, wondering if Minho has received his letter when a flurry of excitement arrives.

“The  _ wangsejabin _ is arriving,” One of the guards say, bursting through the door of the _jumak_. “He has brought an entourage with him, Your Highness, he -”   
  


“My  _ husband _ is arriving?” Jisung says incredulously. “Surely that is but a rumour? My husband should be in the palaces where it is  _ safe _ . He does not even know where I am, how is he -”   
  


“The  _ wangsejabin _ is indeed arriving,”  _ Daejang _ Bang says, coming in from outside as well. “And I think he has brought  _ sojang _ Shin with him, along with some guards. There is someone else with him, with hair the colour of the moon but I know not who it is.” 

“The colour of the moon?” Jisung repeats, temporarily distracted. “Is that not your betrothed, the prince Lee? Surely you know that he is the only one in the palaces with that kind of hair - I daresay the whole country has been talking about the prince that came from the moon, with stars on his cheeks. The poets are hard at work now that there is a new face at the courts, it seems.” 

“Oh,” The  _ daejang _ says weakly. “I see. Do you - do you want me to meet their entourage, Your Highness?”

Jisung stands, pushes his drink aside. “You and me,  _ daejang _ . Let us meet our respective others. The other guards - stay, and rest.”

They select the horses that have seen the least injuries and make for the road hastily, spurred on by love and longing. The guard who relayed the news must have heard it from villagers who live near the edge, for there is no entourage within immediate sight. As they draw closer to the edge, however, a small group starts forming in their vision; Jisung would recognise his husband from any which distance, and he rides a little faster, eager. 

One figure breaks away from the group - the one with the long hair tied up, and with a bow on the back - and then the familiar features form in Jisung’s eyes. Eyes made of starlight and the nose he loves to kiss and the mouth that is always peony pink; they make up the features of his beloved husband, and when they both meet in the middle, pulling on the reins to stop their horse, they simply look at each other for a moment, chests heaving.

“You came to find me,” Jisung says, and is breathless for two reasons.

“I will always find you,” Minho returns, and then nudges his horse, rides closer until they’re side by side. “I have found you, my husband.”

“So you have,” Jisung murmurs, and then steadies his horse, reaches over a hand to cup Minho’s cheek. “I have missed you so much, so much.”

“I think I know exactly how much,” Minho says, voice as still as these sultry summer evenings.

Jisung smiles, and then meets Minho in the middle once again. Their lips press together gently, softer than the petals of freshly bloomed flowers; Jisung still smells like pine and jasmine, Minho thinks to himself as they stay like that for a while, filling their hearts that have become dull when they were away from each other.

“Let us go home,” Minho whispers, looks into Jisung’s eyes and feels like when he looked at Jisung for the first time and saw the break of dawn in his eyes.

Jisung’s hand is still so soft on Minho’s cheek. “You are with me, and so I am home.”

(jisung spends an eternity with minho when they return home to their room that night. pine and peonies and jasmine and lilies blend together on the sheets of their bed once more, and they make a home in each other’s arms once more. 

“i love you,” minho murmurs, and finds sunshine in jisung’s eyes. his hands gently trace over the bandages on jisung’s body, the old scars and the new scars and he vows to kiss each one every day until they fade. 

“i love you too,” jisung whispers, searches the constellations of minho’s gaze. minho’s hair is sprawled over their pillows like the spread of the night sky and this is the most beautiful night jisung has ever seen in his life.

they are home.)

* * *

_ Mid-September, as the harvest is in full swing. The harvest this year is particularly fruitful, and there is more to celebrate than just the harvest. _

_ This letter is a letter that will not need a messenger. It is written in the presence of the wangseja as he rests on their bed, and as such the paper is imbued with the scents of home; pine and jasmine and peonies and lilies. Perhaps what is most interesting about this letter is that it is particularly short; this is what the wangsejabin cannot quite say out loud yet.  _

_ His heart, after all, is in his words. _

My husband,

I have come to a point where it is routine to write you these letters. My journals for recording my mundane dailys have become most important to me, for it has helped me to remember what I can write to you that may be of interest. But there is no need for that right now - you are on our bed while I write at the desk in our room. You are now asking me to return to bed with you, but I think it is not because you want to retire for the night yet. Patience is a virtue you should learn, my dearest. You have waited to ascend the throne for three years, surely you can wait a few more minutes for me? 

No matter; your lack of patience in wanting me is not the point of this letter. This letter is simply a letter of congratulations, and love. Now that the traitors have been flushed out and the rebellion quelled, it is time for you to remain at the palace, and remain by your side I shall. 

I am so pleased that you had returned in time for our anniversary; I am sure you are pleased too, if the way you kissed me was anything the court had to say about. I know not what the next year will bring, but I promise you that I will stay by your side until the end.

For all that I am the  _ wangsejabin _ , for all that I will become the King’s Consort, I will stand by your side. This is something I have already promised to you, even before we were wed. Mostly, and most importantly I think, is that I will always be your husband, and I will always love you as Han Jisung. Even if the country no longer remembers your birth name, even if the history books only remember you as Pyeongjo  _ wang jeoha _ , even if the  _ hangul _ of your name becomes unfamiliar in your own writing, I will.

I will remember your name. 

Yours,

Minho

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading jasmine!! honestly this just started because i thought the idea of minsung writing letters to each other while they were away was cute, but then i made it unnecessarily sad in the middle because they aren't used to leaving each other for long periods of time hhhh + the last few letters hint at traitors, a rebellion, and a war. i hinted that one of the traitor was sojang Jeon who lead the rebellion from the inside, and some unmentioned yangban who were also in on the plot, along with the servants who attempted assassination on minho but failed (miserably lol).
> 
> for as much as i have loved writing jasmine, she has also been difficult to write, i hope it still came out well!! i intended to explore how their relationship is still blossoming after their marriage, and the fears that they have individually that they are learning to overcome and tell each other despite the distance between them.
> 
> i also think i'll take a chance to explain some characters - Lord Hwang is Hyunjin, a son of a high ranking official. Changbin is the third prince (and so older brother to Jisung). Jeongin and Seungmin are yangban in the south (I never explicitly mention their names i am so sorry). Felix is the young prince that has just arrived from another country. Chan is the daejang (general) that leads Jisung's entourage with him. sojang Jeon is just a name i picked out; sojang Shin is based after Ryujin bc i love her and why not; Younghyun-daegun is youngk LMAO bc once again, why not!! there will more installments to this series (im thinking of focusing on jeongmin first) so i hope you will also look forward to thaat!!
> 
> this fic also contains many hints at other pairings, from the obvious (changbin and hyunjins wedding in the winter, and chan and felix's arranged marriage) to the subtle (jeongin and seungmin are already married at this time, and jeongin is building a garden for reasons that we will soon explore!!)
> 
> here's a list of words i used in the fic that might need some explanation!!  
> chuseok - a major harvest festival and a three-day holiday  
> daejang - general  
> wangseja - crown prince  
> wangsejabin - crown prince consort  
> jumak - inn  
> yangban - the nobility of the joseon era  
> sura - the main meals of the day in the joseon era  
> wang - king  
> sojang - major general (ranked below the daejang/general)  
> daegam - honorific used for the 1st senior, 1st junior, and 2nd senior court officials  
> daegun - the crown prince, not entitled to be the crown prince  
> wangja - prince, son of the king and the queen consort  
> gongju - princess, daughter of the king and the queen consort
> 
> please do tell me what you think about the epistolary format and any other formats that you might want me to explore/write about!! i really hope that you have enjoyed jasmine, and here is my [Tumblr](https://yeongwonlino.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/yeongwonlino/)!


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